In the book Red Scarf Girl by JI-Li Jiang it discusses Ji-Li’s perspective and experience in the Chinese Cultural Revolution. In her story, there are many injustices against the Chinese people which took place during the Cultural Revolution. One of these injustices was the requirement to banish the Four Olds from the country. Ji-Li and her family were heavily impacted by the discrimination against the four olds and they struggled greatly to continue with their normal life.
During the Cultural Revolution the things considered Four Olds include, “old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits” (277). Much of the current Chinese culture is built upon these norms, and for many they are a way to have hope. The Cultural Revolution has convinced some people to start to denounce the Four Olds and follow Chairman Mao in his quest to create a Communist China. “Chairman Mao told us we would never succeed at building a strong socialist country until we destroyed the Four Olds and established the Four News”(21).…show more content… Often wealthy people are called oppressors and are labeled with a black class status. Class status is determined by ancestors’ accomplishments and not based on who you are and what you are doing. The people with a wealthy and successful background were considered to have a better chance to succeed on their own and this was frowned upon as unfair. “Our room was ten times as big as many of my classmates’ homes, and a hundred times brighter” (15). Ji-Li’s family is fairly wealthy and privileged and they have many things that others don’t. But now, many of those things, like her Grandma’s red dowry trunks, are considered Four Olds and when their house is searched many precious items are taken away to be burned. Being wealthy used to be considered a good thing, but as the times changed that good luck turned to bad luck as the discrimination against the four olds